New Initiative Aims To Improve Birth Outcomes and Family Health

Utica, NY (WIBX) - The Mohawk Valley Perinatal Network is launching a new initiative to help reduce health care costs and improve family health.

The Oneida-Herkimer Healthy Babies Initiative will examine current health care delivery systems to determine what can be improved. The program will also remove any overabundant services.

April Owens, with the Mohawk Valley Perinatal Network, says the goal is to make the entire program operate more smoothly.

"There's a lot of services available in this community and we're very lucky and fortunate for that," Owens said. "But, we're hoping that the services will be able to work together better so we all know what each other are doing in the community, we can make appropriate referrals and every family in Oneida and Herkimer County can get the services they need in an efficient manner."

The group is made up of members from the Utica Community Health Center, the Oneida County Health Department and Oneida-Herkimer Integrated Planning.

Owens says an inaugural meeting will be held Tuesday morning, then again every quarter through 2013.